Let me introduce you to a talented young lad from Cardiff, who is about to release his debut EP, Lost At Sea. Ladies & Gents....
Mr Ben Dain-Smith
"This has been my project from the ground up. From writing, to recording, to producing and now publishing. It has all been me and that's why I'm so happy to be able to announce this.
Recorded in my room, on a 10-year-old laptop, with free software, this EP was created from passion and hard work so I really hope you enjoy it. I create these things to share them with as many people as possible!"
Impressed?!..Me too! Read on for my EP review and a little chat with Ben..
Hi Ben. First off, tell us a little about yourself for those that don't know you?
I'm 20 years old and I'm a Singer-Songwriter from just outside Cardiff. I've been a big music fan since my early teens. I got hooked on the swagger of the Gallagher's and the showmanship of Mercury. Once I learned how to play, I started writing and performing around Cardiff. I've been performing covers and originals in a professional capacity for around 2 years now and at the start of this year, decided to use some of the material I had amassed and create my own EP!
You are classing this as your debut EP, as you have also previously had a singles release, Until Now (or New Hope). Is that right?
I don't consider New Hope to be part of the "official canon" as it were. This was the first concerted effort to make something that will be widely released for sale and I think that's the difference. I've previously released the "Until Now" collection of 3 singles but in my mind, this is where my professional work starts.
You can hear two of those tracks, Yesterday and Time Flies, on the video promo opposite or check out Bens SOUNDCLOUD page for more!
You said before that this EP was all you, so apart from Gavin helping out on the Deadbeat City Blues track..it was all you? That's very impressive.
Yeah. So Deadbeat City Blues was the first song I recorded for the project. It was all okay but pretty lacklustre and the drums were just a really fake sounding loop. I asked him to have a listen and maybe an idea about the drums. Sent over the strands and he not only created the drums but totally produced the song for me. After that it got a lot more complicated. I was gaining a few skills but also, the free program I was using would regularly wipe all the project data for the unfinished songs. So that meant I had to put a lot of concentrated effort into one session once it was open and being worked on and I quite enjoyed the 'learning on the job' aspect.
Will there be a launch night for the EP, as such?
Not as yet and I don't think so. I don't think it'd be well enough attended really!
Ah, really! Seems to be the trend these days. doesn't it?! Save it for the album, eh? Talking of which, any future plans, aspirations or dreams, musically?
It's definitely the trend and I'm hoping that the EP might get me enough of a following to do something like that when an album does follow.. My aspiration has always been to create music that people want to listen to and make a living doing so. I have a lot of material that I've been holding back, waiting for the "right moment" trying to get signed by a label and suchlike. I'm determined now to forge my own path and to really get the ball rolling on really introducing myself to Wales.
If you could tour or collaborate with anyone...who would it be?
If it were anyone at all, I'd love to collaborate with Damon Albarn. The guy is clearly has music flowing through his veins and I feel like even if I spent an hour in a studio with him, I'd be a far more knowledgeable musician. Again, if I were touring with anyone at all, I'd love to tour with The Libertines. Their music is so energy and performance based, I'd hope some of those magical performing qualities would rub off on me.
Very cool! Speaking of touring and gigging. How will this EP come across live? Will it get stripped back to just acoustic because the synth layer really creates that emotion, I feel?
At the moment, there aren't any plans to be anything other than acoustic. In the past I've heard the opposite opinion, that the music I was recording with various people was too layered and different from the live feel of the tracks. I think every song on the EP translates well as a purely acoustic song ("Hang Up" excluded for obvious reasons) because that's how they were written. But if I had the resources and the backing, I would create a band to back me in a heartbeat. So for the time being, they will remain acoustic live but it's definitely a goal for the future to have those layers provided by some backing musicians.
Fair comment and yes, I get that. The lyrics are poignant enough to still grab the heart alongside the acoustic. Look forward to seeing the progress of a full band set up.
You mentioned Hang Up. Why end the EP on an instrumental?
I've always admired artists who put their projects together in a holistic way. Rather than just putting all of your best/most recent songs together, organising a theme and a tangent through the project to give it a story. In my opinion, all the best artists do it, be they stand up comedians or musicians or visual artists. So I was trying to give it a satisfying and definite ending. You'd never open with that, it just gave me a "credits rolling" type feeling. I also wanted to show that everything from the start of Deadbeat City Blues, until the start of Hang Up, had happened in a short space of time. That's why the tone of a phone is in there at the start of both tracks.
There definitely seemed to be a concept running through it. A story to be told. I, for one, loved it. Thanks for your time Ben and all the best with the release and the future!
Lost At Sea Ep/Release Date 14/04/18
Ben has written an EP that seems to transcend through every angle and emotion, telling tales of finding dreams, finding love, losing love and hopefully in the end, making everything work out alright. Each track seems to grow, lyrically and musically, really playing on those heartstrings. You get sad when the EP is over or just sad that you get the feeling that things never did go right for Ben. I’m sure, from the release of this, that things will start going his way!
Deadbeat City Blues reminds me very much of the 4 Non Blondes song ‘What’s Going On’ but quickly turns into a fast-paced rock n roll melody that gives off Bens’ aspirations and 90s indie rock influences. It gets the foot tapping and soon enough, also gets you singing! Lost At Sea is an instantly likeable track, with cool acoustics, sweet piano trips and a funky beat that drifts along, carrying you with the tide, living within the dreams of facing reality and trying to make it good in this life....
Seasons brings a bittersweet song that trips along on a Jack Johnson-style summer acoustic vibe, telling the tale of repressed feelings and young love. Did he ever work it out, I wonder?
Then we get symphonic greatness with Best Laid Schemes and certainly showcases Bens song-writing skills. The cinematic arrangement on this track is just superb and builds to an emotional climax.
The Way It Always Ends is a heartfelt song of break-ups and lost loves, new lives and new hopes all within a stunning musical backdrop. This lad can write!
The phone dial tone kicks in once again and slides us smoothly into a synth-based electro, piano-lead instrumental that leaves you feeling a mix of emotions!
Hang Up stirs all the necessary feelings and thoughts that compliment this EP. An almost reflective end, giving the listener chance to contemplate what they've just heard.
And then put the first track back on for a re-run.